To Dierk and George Brooks:
Let me cheerfully amend my definition to:
"Essenes: the historical group(s) referred to in Josephus, Philo and
Pliny as the Essenes."
This allows for the possibility that more than one group was referred to
as Essene - that is, as Essaioi or Essenoi. ( I did mention the necessity
for "different applications of the term... to establish an evidentiary
connection to the _group(s)_ referred to in Josephus, Philo or Pliny." )
George, as for the later references to Samaritan Essenes in Epiphanius
or Rechabite Essenes in the Suidas, one would have to provide credible
evidence that Epiphanius or the Suidas had accurate knowledge of the Essenes.
Indeed, this is also a requirement for Josephus, Philo and Pliny (especially
the last, whose idealized literary description is at distinct variance with
the other two authors). Literary references may or may not have accurate
content. That is why my working definition refers to "the historical
group(s) referred to in Josephus et al" -- without necessarily assuming that
these authors' description was accurate (something that has to be argued),
but only that some historical Judean group existed which these authors
attempted to describe.
Best regards,
Russell Gmirkin
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